Blog Comments

What to Do with Negative

Blog Comments

Receiving blog comments of any sort at your site is

actually a great compliment and should never be

overlooked. For anybody to care enough to post

comments shows that at least 'somebody' is paying

attention to your site. This type of interactivity is

common to many popular blogs and it is usually a sign

you are doing something right. There are times

however when a blog reader may leave a comment

that is not favorable of you, a post or perhaps the

site itself. What do you do and how should it be

handled?

Firstly it is important to realize that every successful

blog will experience their fair share of comments like

these. It is HOW you choose to handle negative

remarks that can impact your popularity for the

better or worse. Every comment should be considered

by its content and relevance as to how you should

respond, or not.

Here are 5 suggestions as how to handle any readers

who post comments on your site that may be

negative in nature.

Stay Calm

Always remember to NEVER take any comment personally

whether it is good or bad. Readers do not know you

well enough for you to take their remarks to heart.

That being said it is wise to give thought to any

remarks a blog reader has left BEFORE you respond.

Whether you are answering a question or responding

to a remark you want to put a little thought into what

you are about to post. If visitors post comments that

are critical or even insulting ALWAYS maintain an even

demeanor. Do not over react in a way you will regret

later or will cast you in a negative light.

Decide Whether to Allow Comment

The decision needs to be made as to whether a

comment left even has any relevance to you, a post

or the other readers. If it does not then do not even

allow it to be shown.

Maintain Your Objectivity

As we mentioned above do not take any comment

personally good or bad. If a negative comment is

approved and shown on your site reply to it in an

objective manner. If a person retorts in a negative

manner or remains combative simply ignore and flag

future comments from this person. As the site owner

you have a certain responsibility to maintain a user

friendly site for your readers. A successful blog is one

that always puts the readers first.

Thank Person for Their Input

No matter what type of comment has been left if it

requires your response thank the person for their

input. This cordial approach will always gain you friends

and even sometimes positively influence those who may

not currently agree with you. In either case when

people post comments it is a sign that they are

'involved' on your site and you should be thankful.

Learn From the Input

The most popular blogs improve by learning from the

input their readers give them. Often times the best

feedback you get is negative in nature therefore view

it as constructive criticism. Always strive to gain

something from any remarks left and view all your

feedback as an ongoing learning process for

improving the way you blog.

Blog comments of all sorts are good for your site since

it indicates that somebody actually gives a damn! Look

at any of the most popular blogs and you will see a

high level of interaction through the number of remarks

left. When a blog reader however happens to post

comments that are negative these remarks should be

viewed objectively. The 5 suggestions we spoke of here

target responding to any comments as long as they have

relevancy for you and/or your other readers. Always

pay heed however to the tone of your response.

Maintaining a 'civil tongue' will only serve to increase

the esteem in which your readers will view you.

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Recognize Blog Spam

3 Ways to Recognize Blog Spam

Blog spam is an unfortunate by-product that comes

with the encouraged interactivity on blogging sites.

When viewers visit your site it is always good to have

them post comments In fact many people judge how

popular blogs are based upon the amount of

comments they see.

Of course most site owners would like to see comments

that are constructive and helpful towards the development

of the site itself. However there are many online who

use this opportunity to be nothing more than disruptive

or for their own promotional purposes. Even worse are

those who submit links that are malicious in nature and

therefore pose a threat to you and your readers.

Since it would be nearly impossible to prevent spam like

this there are ways a blog owner can identify and reduce

the amount of spam that shows up in comments.

Here are 3 different 'warning signs' you can use when

people post comments to your blog as to whether it is

something you should approve or delete.

Keywords as Names

Any comment that is left without the name of a person is

usually a big flag. Normally these spammers use keywords

instead of a name in an attempt to get back-links to their

sites. These people are simply trawling for traffic and likely

use software to post comments.

Generic Comment

Comments left that say very little other than some polite

chatter or remark about nothing in particular is a strong

clue they have been software generated. These

comments tend to 'draw you in' based upon their

complimentary nature.

Another style (if you want to call it that) spammers use

when they post comments is making critical or

inflammatory remarks.

You simply need to look at these comments closely to see

if they 'really' have anything to say that can be related

to the post.

Comment is Irrelevant

These comments are fairly easy to recognize and usually

target sites that do not use any type of spam filter. The

remark normally contains information or a response that

is clearly NOT intended for the blog they are found on.

These spammers are the most irreverent since they blatantly

'hawk' their own sites or simply aim to be disruptive.

Blog spam is just another unfortunate by-product that

comes with blogging sites that encourage and experience

reader interactivity. The fact of the matter many visitors

will judge how popular blogs are upon the number of

comments they see. Site owners do want people to post

comments that can be used for constructive purposes

bit it is hard to prevent spam showing up in these

comments. The 3 warning signs discussed above can

be use to detect and minimize the amount of spam you

approve for posting on your site. By filtering spam in

this way you will be protecting your readers from potentially

malicious sites. The net result will be an increased feeling

of security and satisfaction by your readers when visiting

your site.

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